


Logan Baird and the Lake of Ghosts

by clari_not



Category: Layton Kyouju Series | Professor Layton Series
Genre: Also they're deaf, And descole is almost definitely ooc, AndI may not even finish it, Anyway this is probably really really bad, Gen, I guess we don't know Raymond's full name?, Id bet money on it but whatever, Just a quick thing though, Logan is my oc, Lots of Angst, Takes place after Azran Legacy so there's probably spoilers, The story focuses on them so like, but I didn't make an ao3 account for nothing, eventually anyway, the canon characters that are in there might not necessarily be there for long
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-01
Updated: 2017-08-01
Packaged: 2018-11-30 02:35:39
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,200
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11454201
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/clari_not/pseuds/clari_not
Summary: After discovering the secrets of the Azran Legacy, Logan Baird convinced Descole to return to their hometown to learn more about the mysteries there. After getting separated and left behind, Logan takes on their own investigation, facing new anxieties and old ghosts. I'm bad at summaries haha...





	1. A Family Reunion

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! Not sure why you're reading this, but I'm glad this somehow caught you're attention. Thanks for at least giving it a chance! I hope you enjoy. And if there are any questions about my oc, let me know!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Logan meets some familiar faces, although they can't say they're excited about it

When Logan woke again, the curtains on the window had been pulled back, letting sunlight stream into the room. Aside from that, very little had changed about the room. Logan looked out the window, trying to get an understanding of where they were when they felt fingers tap them gently on their shoulder. They turned and looked, only to be surprised by whose eyes they met. 

It was a young boy, probably about eight or nine years old. He had dark, feathery hair that was unusually long and unkempt for a boy his age. Surely his parents would have helped him maintain it. His eyes were grey, very similar to Logan’s, in fact. As he signed at them, Logan noticed that his hands were quite dirty, as you expect a child’s to be. There was dirt under his fingernails, caked along the sides of his nails, and along the sides and palms of his hands. Despite the rest of his unkept appearance, he was well dressed, and his clothes didn’t seem to have a speck of dirt on them, aside from the knees of his pants. Logan had zoned out, both out of surprise and fatigue, hadn’t caught what he was trying to say, so they asked him to repeat himself.

“Are you feeling better?” He asked, speaking the words as he signed. Damn, he even had the same habits. There was no way this was him, though. It had been ages since they had last seen him, when the roles were reversed. They refused to believe those little shadows on the edges of their vision had finally managed to catch up to them like this. 

They realized they were leaving the kid hanging. Logan nodded their head. Yes. It was a bit of a lie, but they didn’t think it mattered. If anything, this kid was some figment of their imagination, and they were only seeing him because they were sick. A fever dream. Once they were better, he wouldn’t exist anymore. Logan found that imaginary children didn’t care if you lied to them, anyway.

The kid seemed happy to say the least. He grinned ear to ear, then hopped up and ran out the bedroom door. He didn’t return for a while, and Logan figured they’d be able to go find out where they were or go back to sleep when a woman entered the room. 

Oh no. 

It had been years since Logan had last seen her, but she was recognizable all the same. She had lighter hair than Logan, not quite dirty blonde but closer to a light brown. It was long and curly, but she still seemed to favor keeping it tied up and away from her face. There were also the tell-tale grey eyes that had been so prominent in the Baird children. While Logan’s eyes had often been compared to storms, hers were softer, closer to the lake or an ocean on an overcast, rainy day. She had always been good about how she dressed, managing to keep it simple yet elegant.

“Aren’t you supposed to be in America, Elise?” Logan signed, knowing for a fact they’d come off as overly-hostile. If they had known she was here, they would have taken more care in their actions, but as far as they had known, their sister was supposed to be off in America, doing journalism or whatever it was she had taken up as a career.

Elise seemed taken aback, and took a moment to respond. Logan guessed that she probably wasn’t expecting that greeting. “I thought you would be happier to see more after so long.” She signed. That’s right, she preferred to sign rather than speak to Logan. “I came back.”

Logan resisted the urge to roll their eyes. “Clearly. Why?”

“I could ask you the same thing.” She signed. “You disappeared so suddenly, and no one has heard from you in years. Then you suddenly show up in your hometown, soaking wet in the middle of the night…” She paused, then stared more intently at Logan. “Were you at the lake?”

Elise knew they had been at the lake; there was no point in lying about that. They’d have to come up with a good reason for being at the lake. Logan nodded, then tried to explain. “I was there for my…” They snapped their fingers, trying to think. “…apprenticeship.” They slowly signed. It almost felt like they were a child again, being scolded by their father for sneaking off to the lake without letting anyone know.

This took her by surprise, and she seemed to forget the line of questioning concerning the lake. “You have an apprenticeship? I heard you had dropped out of school after they passed away.”

Logan would have to play their cards carefully, but they felt they could change the topic here. “I… left school to pursue that apprenticeship. Anyone in their right mind wouldn’t pass up the opportunity that I had.”

“Why didn’t you tell anyone?” Thankfully she didn’t ask about the ‘apprenticeship’ specifically. That would definitely come up later, but this at least gave Logan time to figure out the details. 

“It never came to mind. I could only tell you, and you probably wouldn’t care. You had such important business to take care of after all.” They’d try and turn the conversation around now so they weren’t the one being questioned. “What brought you back?”

She paused, giving her answer some thought. “I had heard about quite a few… incidents that happened over here.” She paused again. “Well, not here, but you know. I also hadn’t heard from you in such a long time, I was worried. And my fiancé had been quite insistent when he saw how worried I was.”

“Fiancé?” Logan signed back, surprised. This was news to them. It really had been a long time, hadn’t it? Last time they saw their sister, she had been extremely torn up about their parents passing. Their father had passed first. Some disease or another. Their mother had followed a few months afterwards. They were told it was because of a broken heart, although that had been too sappy for Logan’s taste. As the oldest child, Elise had inherited most of their parent’s property and money, but ended up selling the house and land, paying the house staff enough to keep them on their feet until they could find work somewhere else. She gave some to Logan to use as they wished, and then used the rest to go to America and find a new life there. She seemed determined to leave the lake-side village for one reason or another, and in the process, went as far as she could to get away, leaving Logan behind in the process. That was probably why they were so upset with her, but to be fair they had taken similar actions after meeting Descole.

Elise nodded, now smiling brightly. “We met a few years ago, after I began my job, and we’ve been engaged for a few months. He’s been such a big help. I can’t wait for you to meet him. You can even come to the wedding!”

Wait. They weren’t planning on staying. At least not long enough to attend some wedding. They needed to find Descole. Although, truth be told, their sister looked so… happy. They didn’t think they’d ever see their sister again, much less as happy as she seemed to be now. Maybe it wouldn’t hurt to attend, at least after they figured out what had happened the other night and where Descole and Raymond had disappeared to.

She must have noticed that Logan had zoned out. She gently tapped their shoulder, then asked what was wrong. 

“Thinking. How long have I been here?” They asked. They needed to figure out a few things, and they figured asking some general questions would be the best first step. 

“Two days. You’ve been ill. Probably because you decided to take a swim in the lake and then wonder around the streets in the middle of the night in winter.” Elise responded.

“You were the one who found me?” They asked. When she nodded in confirmation, Logan followed up with another question. “What were you doing out so late?”

“I have trouble sleeping. I’m sure you understand that.” 

Logan didn’t want to get into that, so they moved on to their next question. “Did you see anything… unusual? Other than me.” They asked, trying to think of a way to get the information they wanted without giving away everything. The Bostonius was probably their best bet, and it was hard to miss. Asking about Descole himself would have been suspicious, especially if she had heard of him. “An airship?”

“That orange one? It left the night after it arrived.”

Left? As in… it was gone? Vanished? Flew off into the night leaving Logan behind to drown in the watery depths of the lake, as far as Descole could have known? No, he wouldn’t do that. Raymond wouldn’t let him either… right? There had to have been a mistake.

“Why do you ask?” Elise asked, tilting her head curiously. 

“That was…” Logan snapped their fingers, thinking of what to say. They felt like they were on thin ice trying to come up with an explanation. Maybe specifying the airship had been a bad idea.

Fortunately, Elise suddenly seemed to be distracted by something. Probably a sound. Maybe the tea was ready or there was a guest at the door. She looked out the bedroom door, presumably down the hallway, then back to Logan. “Sorry, I forgot I was in the middle of something. We can keep talking later. Would you like something to eat?”

Logan considered themselves quite lucky. They asked for water, and anything light they could have to eat, and Elise left, apologizing for suddenly having to leave. Once she was gone, Logan relaxed further into the bed, taking their time coming up with a good, believable story as to what had brought them back into their hometown. An apprenticeship was believable, and they could always call their time working under Descole an “apprenticeship”. Names would have to be changed of course. Maybe it wouldn’t hurt to use Sycamore as a substitute. He wasn’t around to tell them otherwise.

That was another concern of theirs, but they pushed it from their mind. They’d be able to figure out more about what happened on the lake later. It would probably help explain how they had been left behind, too. They just had to take it one step at a time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for reading! I had some notes planned for this, but I forgot. It'll probably come to me later.


	2. Almost Drowning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Logan asks Descole to help them out with an old problem they had in their hometown. It goes about as well as one would expect.

-A Few Years Later-

Logan led the way through the streets, being the most familiar with the area. After all, it was where they had grown up, and it was only due to their insistence that Descole had agreed on coming here in the first place. They had some solid reasoning, but not any proof to back it up… yet. They had to get something first, albeit from a rather…. unexpected location that they were sure would raise questions on Descole’s part. Instead, they went out on their own, getting what was needed before returning to the Bostonius. Then they led him to the lake. It was late, so they navigated with a lantern once they left the safety of the streetlights.

“So, what’s so special about this Lake, Logan? I hope we’re not wasting our time here.” Descole said after getting Logan’s attention. They had been taking time to teach him sign language, which had come in handy on multiple occasions, but for the most part he spoke to them, and they’d sign in response. 

“It’s haunted, or something lives in it.”

“Is this going to be another Kodh situation?”

Logan shook their head furiously. “I’ve seen proof of it myself. And I have…” They reached into their vest pocket, pulling out the amulet they had gone out to fetch earlier.

Descole took it and examined it carefully under the lantern light. “So, we’re basing this entirely off a necklace and an urban legend…”

“We’ve gone off less.”

If he responded, Logan couldn’t see it. He seemed focused on examining the necklace he had just been handed. Once he was satisfied, he handed it back to them, and Logan put it in their pocket. They were approaching the lake now; the boat Logan had prepared was in sight. 

“You’ll have to tell me why that might be related. First I want to know what’s out here.”

“That’s why we’re here.” Logan signed. They gestured to the boat. “As much as I hate it, we’re going out onto the water. It’s the best place to see what’s underneath the surface.” They stepped into the boat, picking up one of the oars. They hoped Descole couldn’t see how nervous they were. Their grip on the oar was unnaturally tight, and if it were brighter out, he almost definitely would have noticed how pale they had gotten while they approached the lake. They picked up the other oar, then motioned for Descole to either get in the boat or to help them push it into the water. 

Once the boat was in the water, Logan made their way to the front, then rowed it out towards the center of the lake. Occasionally, Descole would peer over the edge, causing the boat to tilt ever so slightly in that direction. Logan hated it, but didn’t want to say anything in fear of raising too many questions. Eventually they were about in the right place, if memory served them right. They pulled the oars out of the water, laying them in the boat. Then they slowly moved so they were looking over the left side of the boat. They did their best not to tilt the boat, but when Descole looked, the boat leaned more to the side. They steadied themselves, and, after a few minutes of fruitless searching, took the lantern from Descole, holding it over the water so they could maybe see under the murky surface of the water. 

Maybe it would have been better to go during the day. At least it might be easier to see then. They were about to suggest this to Descole, when something leapt out of the water at them, grapping their wrist and pulling back. Logan lunged forward, falling out of the boat and plunging into the cold lake. 

Logan couldn’t see, but the hand that had pulled them into the lake still had a grip on their wrist. They tried to pull back and kick at the thing, but they missed. They continued struggling, which they hoped might have, at the very least, slowed their descent. They found it more difficult to hold their breath with each passing second, and whatever had a hold on them was not letting go. Logan stopped struggling. 

…

They could feel cold air on their skin… They hazarded a deep breath, and when water didn’t flood their lungs they took several deep breaths. Oddly enough, the air felt quite thick, but it was breathable. They looked around, looking for any sign of where they were or what had brought them here. They were in a cave, which was barren of any life aside from plants. Way above their head, they could see some moonlight streaming into the cave, but it didn’t do much to help the lighting situation. 

Logan sniffed and looked back at the water. It looked like whatever had brought the here had gone back into the water. There was no way Logan would follow it that way. There had to be another way.

Logan stood up, straightening themselves out. They felt in their pocket, relieved to feel that the amulet was still there. They had lost the lantern, but it wouldn’t have helped them out at this point. Their other pocket held a lighter, but its meager light wouldn’t have been any help. Instead they walked along the perimeter of the wall, running their hand along the stone as they walked. One patch of plants shifted more readily than the rest, and when Logan investigated it, they found that it exposed a branch that lead out of the cave. Or it could lead further into the cave. They had no way of knowing, and it wasn’t like they had another way out unless they wanted to take up rock climbing. 

So, they followed the path, running their hand along the wall as they went. They might have been imagining it, but it felt like the air was thinning out and becoming even easier to breathe. They ran into a dead end, but by pushing aside a few more plants, they found that it led out into the open, and the city was vaguely visible in the distance. They’d be able to find the Bostonius if they made it back to town. 

They trudged on back to town, the cold night air biting into their skin. They’d be able to warm up once they got back to the airship. They’d change into dry clothes, get a warm cup of cocoa and some blankets and rest in the lounge of the Bostonius and tell Descole and Raymond what had happened on their end. The thought is really what kept them going, and they made their way to town, and then navigated their way to the where the Bostonius was parked. 

Or rather… where the Bostonius had been earlier. It was gone now. 

Had something caused Descole to flee? Did he even wait for them to break the surface of the lake after going under? Wait, maybe Raymond flew the Bostonius closer to the lake to help look for them! Of course! They’d have to go back there to meet them and let them know they were alright, but freezing. Logan turned and went back down the street, this time going back to the lake. They had no idea what happened next, but they were pretty sure they didn’t make it to the lake before they felt a hand on their shoulder.

They jumped, spinning around to see who was behind them. They lost their balance, stumbling to the ground. Being dragged down towards the bottom of a cold lake and then hiking back to the closest city on a cold spring night certainly took it out of a person.

Logan couldn’t really remember what happened next, but they woke up in a bad, covered by soft, thick blankets. Sunlight seeped in through the cracks in the curtain of a window on the wall to their left. Across the room were two doors. Next to the bed they were on was a nightstand, on top of which was a lukewarm glass of water and a lamp. Adjacent to the bed was a simple dresser with a mirror. The entire room had a very… homely atmosphere. 

 

As Logan moved to get up, they suddenly felt a wave of nausea overcome them, and they laid back in the bed. Whoever they wanted to find outside of this room would have to come to them when they were awake. But as they relaxed into the bed they could already feel themselves drifting back to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so tired haha


End file.
